Author: Karakhanian Suren

ARMENIA OBLIGED TO DISCUSS GENOCIDE ISSUE

A1+
[06:17 pm] 06 March, 2007

Vartan Oskanian, Minister of Foreign Affairs is anxious about the
statement made by Turkish high-ranking authorities at the US Congress.

‘Governments should keep from interference in such issues. But
when Armenian issues are concerned, we cannot be indifferent as a
government especially under the Turkish government advocacy,’Vartan
Oskanian has highlighted.

Abdula Gyul together with a number of other Turk officials have warned
that Turkish- American relationship will be questioned if the Congress
adopts the resolution of Armenian Genocide.

According to Vartan Oskanian, this is nothing but an attempt to make
critics on the Turkish stance keep silence abroad, the way they do
in their country through Penal Code.

Oskanian informed that he had discussed the issue with Condoleezza
Rice at the meeting held on Monday.

Turkish- Armenian relationships as well as negotiations about Nagorno
Karabakh conflict resolution and the upcoming elections were in
the agenda.

SAFAROV TAKEN TO JAIL

ArmRadio.am
07.03.2007 12:36

Yesterday Ramil Safarov, sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering
Armenian Officer Gurgen Margaryan, was moved from the inquiry isolation
ward to a jail 170 km away from Budapest. Azeri Trend agency reports
that representative of Ramil Safarov’s family in the court Ikram
Shirinov declared that Safarov’ s Hungarian attorney Clara Fisher
intends to emeet with the prisoner this week. The verdict of the Court
of Appel on Ramikl Safarov has net bee presented to his attorneys
yet. After receiving it the attorneys intend to appeal the verdict
in the Supreme Court of Hungary.

FLOWER PRICES TO GO UP

A1+
[12:47 pm] 07 March, 2007

The prices of flowers in "Brabion Flora" Service will go up on March
8. For instance, citizens will purchase one rose per 3000 AMD, the
service representatives informed "A1+".

"A1+" conducted polling among the students of the Yerevan State
University (YSU) asking what presents they prefer on March 8. The
results of the polling testify to the fact that most girls prefer
flowers on Women’s Day.

One of the YSU students, 22-year-old Hovhannes, told us the following
story connected with March 8. "Two years ago I decided to present my
girl with flowers on March 8. "When the florist informed me that the
prices of flowers would go up on March 8, I bought a bunch of flowers
on the eve. But the following morning I found the bunch faded".

Nowadays many people counter difficulties while choosing March 8
presents. "I give my wife money to buy something as I don’t know
what to buy for her," says 39-year-old taxi-driver Arsen. <>The
young also have difficulties in choosing presents. "If I present my
girl anything, I keep thinking all day long whether she will like,"
says 19-year-old Arthur.

Aram, a third-year student, says it is already three years he has
asked his girl friend what she wants. "I don’t like to present anything
that will be out of use."

We tried to find out what Armenian girls prefer besides flowers. Six of
the surveyed girls find cars to be the best presents. It is noteworthy
that they give preference to "Jeeps" and "Nissans". Others say they
would rather have mobile phones, jewels, toys, gold, etc.

"For me the best March 8 present is love confession", says 18-year-old
Anoush.

"I don’t pay attention to the present. I attach great importance to
the person giving that present," says first-year student Ann.

On the whole, all the girls participating in the polling, claim that
the most important for them is the attention of their loved ones.

SUREN SURENIANTS: "IT IS STRANGE THAT SOME PARTIES HOPE TO IMPLEMENT SYSTEM AMENDMENTS WITH RPA"

Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. "There are at all no parties in the
ruling camp of Armenia: there is conditional Republican Party which
serves interests of Serge Sargsian’s clan, and there is "Bargavach
Hayastan" (Prosperous Armenia) conditional party which serves interests
of oligarches gathered round Robert Kocharian." Suren Sureniants,
a member of the "Hanrapetutiun" (Republic) party political council
made such a statement at the March 7 press conference.

In his words, it is at least strange in the political situation
created at present that some parties, particularly, the "Hzor Hayrenik"
(Powerful Fatherland) party, are ready to assist the RPA and hopes to
implement system amendments in the country jointly with the latter. In
S.Sureniants’ words, the RPA proportional list can not be considered
political as names of criminal authorities and those people are in
turn mentioned in it who consistently falsified the elections during
the recent nine years. In S.Sureniants’ opinion, those citizens who
were for change of the acting regime will vote for the "Republic"
party at the coming elections. In his words, the two deputies from the
"Hanrapetutiun" party (NT. – party Political Council Chairman Aram
Z.Sargsian and Political Council member Smbat Ayvazian) were the
most principal ones at the Parliament, and just for the principle
they boycotted the NA works continuously for months.

TURKEY SHOOTS DOWN YOUTUBE OVER INSULTING VIDEO
Tom Sanders in California

Computing, UK
VNUNet.com, UK
March 7 2007

Video rulted offensive to nation’s founder Ataturk

A Turkish court has ordered local ISPs to block access to the Youtube
video sharing service in response to the publication of a video that
mocked the nation’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

The video displayed pictures of the founding father of the modern
Turkish with insults written over it in English.

Youtube has since removed the video and the ban on the website has
reportedly been lifted. It’s unclear when access to Youtube will
be restored.

The video was reportedly uploaded by an ethnic Greek from Cyprus.

Turkey and Greece have been battling each other over control of the
island. Turkey in 1974 invaded the territory and created the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus that is only recognized by Turkey.

Turkey has an uneasy relation with freedom of speech. The nation’s
penal code makes it a crime to insult "Turkishness". Courts routinely
press charges against writers and journalists for mentioning the
Armenian genocide of 1915-1917. Turkey denies that a coordinated
ethnic cleansing ever occurred and blames the deaths on collateral
war and natural circumstances.

FOR THE PRESENT, NO ONE EXPELLED FROM PPA EXCEPT SMBAT YEGHIAZARIAN

Noyan Tapan
Mar 05 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 5, NOYAN TAPAN. By the decision of the Political
Board of People’s Party of Armenia (PPA), Smbat Yeghiazarian, head
of Abovian territorial organization, member of Political Board, was
expelled from the party. He had lately accused Party Chairman Stepan
Demirchian of cooperating with the authorities. PPA Spokesperson Ruzan
Khachatrian informed Noyan Tapan correspondent about it. She refuted
the information that allegedly heads of initial organizations of
Abovian region’s a number of villages have also submitted applications
on leaving the party. R. Khachatrian said that at the March 5 sitting
of Abovian territorial organization’s Board a decision was made to
continue working and preparing for the parliamentary elections. The
Board has assumed management of the territorial organization until
the election of a new secretary.

COMEDY CLUB PROJECT EDITOR WANTS TO BECOME A DEPUTY OF PARLIAMENT

Panorama.am
18:48 05/03/2007

Garik Martirosyan, editor of "Comedy Club" project, wants to become a
deputy of parliament. His name is included in United Libratory National
Party (ULNP) proportional list. CEC official website says Martirosyan
is not affiliated to any party and has registration in Yerevan. He
is also known as the group head of "New Armenians." The list of ULNP
is headed by Levon Martirosyan, brother of Garik Martirosyan.

WCBS-TV New York, NY
March 4 2007

Memorial To Be Held For Assasinated Journalist
Murdered Outside Istanbul Office For ‘Insulting Turkishness’

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK Members of the Armenian-American community are
holding a joint memorial and requiem service today honoring a slain
Armenian-Turkish journalist.

Hrant Dank was assassinated outside the office of his Istanbul-based
newspaper Argos on January 19, 2007 for insulting Turkishness.

He was well regarded in the Armenian community for having the courage
to speak out on the Armenian genocide, in which the Ottoman Empire
forcefully removed and killed over a million Armenians.

Dank’s raising of the subject caused controversy in Turkey.

The memorial service honoring the slain journalist is being held at
the Saint Vartan Armenian Cathedral in Manhattan.

Representative of People’s Party: Opposition in the Parliament of the
4th call to be well presented

Arminfo
2007-03-02 22:46:00

"The Justice opposition bloc has accomplished its historic mission,"
Grigor Harutyunyan, Representative of the Board of People’s Party of
Armenia (PPA), said at the briefing in the National Assembly today.

He added that the Justice bloc was unprecedented from the point that
the bloc existed during the whole period of the Parliament of the 3rd
call. "Today, the key objective of opposition it to prevent rigging of
parliamentary elections," G. Harutyunyan declared. Commenting on the
opposition’s failure to consolidate in a pre-election bloc, he said
that he sees no point in consolidating into amorphous blocs – and
"this is why PPA decided to participate independently in the
elections."

G. Harutyunyan said that PPA was even ready to integrate into the
Impeachment bloc if the other two opposition powers would have jointed
the alliance too. "We believe that the Impeachment bloc could be
efficient only if the whole political opposition integrated in to it.
Unfortunately, the parties – National Unity and Orinats Yerkir, did
not consider it worthy to make such a step," he said.

G. Harutyunyan pointed out that PPA proposed parliamentary powers,
within the Justice bloc, to stay in the bloc and simultaneously
continue the work for setting up legal authority in Armenia. However,
the parties within the Justice bloc declined the proposal. He said
that PPA is ready to cooperate with all parties in opposition.

Despite the opposition’s failure to consolidate, G. Harutyunyan makes
a forecast – opposition will be well presented in the Parliament of
the 4th call. "Today we fight for the majority," he asserted.

VOTER-CANDIDATE RELATIONS INVOLVE MANY CORRUPTION RISKS IN ARMENIA

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Feb 28 2007

YEREVAN, February 28. /ARKA/. The voter-candidate relations involve
many corruption risks, Secretary of Armenia’s Central Electoral
Commission Hamlet Abrahamian said at the international seminar on
prevention, identification and investigation of election frauds.

Abrahamian attributed this situation to the existing electoral system.

Money and other instruments of influence on people’s minds "work"
in the sphere, and in this particular electoral system it is very
difficult to differentiate between election bribes and charity,
Abrahamian said.

He pointed out that granting an immunity status to chairmen of
territorial election committees that is currently under consideration
may give cause for mass election fraud.

"In this respect it is very important to increase self-consciousness
of Armenia’s citizens," Abrahamian said.

A two-day seminar is held in Yerevan on prevention, identification
and investigation of election fraud.